Change the iTunes store an app is associated with

Question

I have two active iTunes store accounts in two countries because I have homes in both locations (U.S. and another country). These two accounts allow me to download content that is available only in one of those countries to my one iPhone. I know how to switch back and forth between the stores when it is time to update my collection of apps, but I have gotten to the point where I'm tired of the constant switching back and forth that I need to do -- literally every day -- to keep all my apps up to date.
For this reason, I would like to make it so that all apps that are available in the U.S. store are associated with my U.S. account and only those apps that are unique to the other country be associated with that country's store/my account with that country.  The apps that are unique to the other country are a fraction of my app collection, so I would like only those apps to be associated with that country's account.  Unfortunately, a lot of the apps that are available in both countries I downloaded from my other country store, therefore they are associated with that account/country despite being available in the U.S. as well. Even though I spend a lot of time in my U.S. account, I am constantly having to switch to update, say, Instagram, when I wish I could have done the update back in the U.S. account where Instagram is an available app.
In other words, how can I change the country store that an app is associated with?  Do I have to delete and re-download them from the store I want them associated with?
The reason I ask, and the reason I find this so frustrating, is Apple knows when an app needs updating, regardless of the origin store. When my iPhone is logged into the U.S. account, I still get notified of the app update in the other country's store and I'm prompted to log in to that account. Why can't I just update it in my U.S. account, particularly since the app is available in the U.S.?
Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

Sorry, but what you ask is not possible. You cannot change the iTunes Store nor the iTunes Store account an app is assocated with. Why Apple has this setup for apps that are common to more than one country I can't say; it may be due to copyright and other legal issues that differ from country to country, or just that they haven't found it practical to set up different mechanisms for media - which must be handled separately for each country - and apps.
In any case, though, there's nothing you can do. You will have to update through each store separately, or re-acquire the apps in the account/country you wish to use most often.
Regards.